Poll: How do you determine how long in secondary?

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Kiwi_Jonno

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Just wondering how everyone here determinds how long they leave their ALES in Secondary for?

I know many people don't use a secondary for ales. Is it purely how patient you are? Or when you need the secondary for another beer? Or the style? How dark the beer is?

If you were in no hurry, say you were bewing for a friend who didn't want it until XX/XX/XXX date, how long would you leave it for?

There must be a time in secondary (say 6 weeks?) where leaving it any more is pointless and you might as well bottle and leave it longer to bottle condition? (Law of Diminishing returns :rockin: )

Responses will be interesting :)
 
Well I know for me I usually leave my beers in the secondary until I have a keg free or until I think there has been a sufficient amount of aging completed.
 
Where's the poll? :D


:D, it's invisipoll.

I only secondary Lagers and High gravity Ales (or if I ever do one, a fruit addition). The rest gets 10 days in the primary and then the proper aging period is done elsewhere. I have not been convinced that aside from helping to reduce sediment that a secondary does all that much. Good racking procedure allow you to leave the majority of the Yeast and such behind. Bulk aging vs. bottle aging is indeed different though. In that case, I have a separate judgment on each recipe.
 
I don't secondary yet, well, not one my first brew anyway. I need to secondary my christmas ale I think, its not a very big ale 1.058, but I think the time off the yeast before the bottle will help it. I guess it would stay in there until I needed the vessel I was using, I dont have a glass/plastic carboy right now.

Tim
 
Roughly 2 weeks in the secondary. I only use an S-style airlocks on the secondaries. I usually let the two fluids level out before doing anything.

airlock-bubbler.jpg



FYI - I use these on the primary.

airlock-three-piece.jpg
 
If I need to dry hop...like my last IPA, I'll use a secondary. If I brew a big ale that needs to condition for a long time, I'll use a secondary. Other than that, I leave my ales in the primary for 2-4 weeks, depending on style.
 
If I'm not being a hasty bonehead, my personal method is to start the clock once I reach final gravity which takes 3-10 days. After that, I add one week mandatory aging for a 1.040 OG beer and add one week for every additional 10 points. So, a 1.060 beer would age at ferment temps for 3 weeks whether it's in primary, secondary or keg.

I've been racking to secondary for most beers and I do that one week after I reach FG. I count that first week as "aging".
 
If I'm not being a hasty bonehead, my personal method is to start the clock once I reach final gravity which takes 3-10 days. After that, I add one week mandatory aging for a 1.040 OG beer and add one week for every additional 10 points. So, a 1.060 beer would age at ferment temps for 3 weeks whether it's in primary, secondary or keg.

I've been racking to secondary for most beers and I do that one week after I reach FG. I count that first week as "aging".


So it seems no one ages overly long? Is there any REAL benefit is leaving a med gravity (say 1055 OG and lower) beer for more then 5-6 weeks secondary?

Would a beer thats 3weeks primary, 6weeks secondary, 6weeks bottle taste better or...

One that is 2weeks primary, 2 weeks secondary, 11weeks bottle?

So with the above the beer is the same age, just different times in secondary compared to bottle conditioning. Am wondering if any one has tried both and can make a comparision?
 
kiwi, I would do 3weeks primary, 6weeks secondary, 6weeks bottle only for the extended time in the primary. It helps things settle out more and some say that bulk aging is better than aging in bottles. I'm not 100% convinced on that though, but it sounds good!
 
If I'm not being a hasty bonehead, my personal method is to start the clock once I reach final gravity which takes 3-10 days. After that, I add one week mandatory aging for a 1.040 OG beer and add one week for every additional 10 points. So, a 1.060 beer would age at ferment temps for 3 weeks whether it's in primary, secondary or keg.

I've been racking to secondary for most beers and I do that one week after I reach FG. I count that first week as "aging".
This sounds like a nice rule, one which I may try following after I have more bottled and carbonated HB ready to drink. For now I need to bottle sooner to satisfy my impatience (and my thirst).
 
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